Chapter [01]
THE MAKING OF A HABU
It all begins with a desire … a desire to fly the world’s most secretive, highest, and fastest plane. On 24 July 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced to the world the existence of a reconnaissance plane called the SR-71, able to fly at three times the speed of sound and at altitudes over eighty thousand feet. After the news release, many Air Force crew members became aware of the plane’s existence, perhaps even seeing it on their travels. They knew the mission of the SR-71 was to gather intelligence on foreign countries, but they knew little else.
A Habu (pronounced “haw-BOO”) is a poisonous snake found in Southeast Asia. Habus are pit vipers, more closely related to the adder than to species of North American snakes. The actual Habu is relatively small, usually not longer than five feet. It is not typically aggressive but will bite when provoked or backed into a corner. Bottles of (very expensive) Habu wine are widely sold on Okinawa. The Habu venom present in the wine, along with a dead snake at the bottom, was reputed to increase male virility … Okinawa’s own version of Viagra. Most foreigners thought it would bring on an attack of Montezuma’s revenge!
Even Dell Comics knew about the SR-71 in this October 1967 issue!
When CIA pilots first flew the A-12s on Okinawa in May 1967, the locals thought this strange and somewhat evil–looking plane was similar to their black Habu snake. Superstitious Okinawans pointed at the sinister black plane in the skies, murmuring, “Habu … Habu.” From then on, Habu became the nickname of the SR-71s and the crews who flew them. At the completion of their first operational sortie on Okinawa, the pilot and RSO discovered a Habu patch mysteriously sewn on the left shoulder of their flight suits. Only those who flew the SR-71 on operational missions could wear the highly coveted Habu patch on their flight suits.
Flying the SR-71 was a completely different world that many Air Force pilots did not care to enter. Some had heard through the grapevine that the SR-71 physical examination was extremely thorough and that many pilots applying became permanently grounded when doctors found a hidden disability. Other pilots didn’t want anything to do with a flying job that required wearing a bulky pressure suit. Most fighter pilots would never consider flying any plane that belonged to Strategic Air Command (SAC); that was reserved for bomber pilots only!
A-12 932 photographed on Wake Island in May 1967 while deploying from the United States to Okinawa, Japan.
The original cadre of SR-71 crew members was hand-selected by Colonel Doug Nelson, the first commander of the 9th SRW at Beale AFB. Since SAC “owned” the SR-71 program, outsiders were not considered during the initial selection of crew members. The first twenty-five crews selected flew U-2s, B-47s, B-52s, or B-58s in SAC. Soon after selection of the first crews, an application process for the SR-71 program was established, allowing crew members from outside of SAC to apply voluntarily.
When new crew members first arrived at Beale, they were given time to settle in and get their families situated. As a former SR-71 crew member himself, the squadron commander was well aware that once training began in earnest, crews became very busy and totally absorbed in all facets of their nine or ten months of training. The new pilot and RSO were paired together upon arrival at Beale. They would remain together until a future Air Force assignment split them apart.
The SR-71 squadron’s numerical designation was the oldest in the Air Force. It was first organized in 1913 as the 1st Provisional Aero Squadron at Texas City, Texas, flying the Wright “B” Pusher. In 1966, the unit assumed the mission of strategic reconnaissance at Beale AFB as the 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS). At the very peak of the Blackbird program, around fifty SR-71 aviators comprised two squadrons at Beale, the 1st SRS and the 99th SRS. With a slow but constant decrease in crews, the 99th SRS was deactivated on 1 April 1971. On that date, the former 99th SRS commander, Lt. Col. Harlon Hain, assumed command of the 1st SRS.
It’s difficult for any crew member in a normal Air Force flying squadron to grasp just how small the 1st SRS eventually became. Often it seemed like a ghost town. When I arrived at Beale in 1974, there were only nine SR-71 crews combat ready (CR) and eligible to fly operational reconnaissance sorties anywhere in the world. Three of those crews were always on temporary duty (TDY) at Kadena. Of the six crews remaining at Beale, at least one or two crews were TDY somewhere in the United States. Another crew was always on leave or on vacation. Of the four or so crews remaining, two crews were typically spending time in the SR-71 simulator or flying T-38s. For me, it was an eerie feeling coming into a squadron with only a handful of crew members around.
Most crews arrived with either an Air Force secret or top secret (TS) security clearance. However, the SR-71 program was further compartmentalized and called for an SAR security clearance, a rare classification reserved only for highly sensitive military programs. A Senior Crown security clearance was issued at Beale for all personnel who had a need to know about the SR-71 program, from maintenance troops to the clerk typist in the squadron.
The SR-71 aircraft’s flight manual (called the “Dash-1”) and flying checklist were classified Secret NOFORN. Once they were briefed into the Senior Crown program, air crews signed for and were issued their flight manual, checklist, and other classified publications at the squadron. To control the large volume of classified documents issued to Habus, one entire wall of the squadron administration room was lined with large, five-drawer security safes.
All SR-71 pilots and RSOs flew the T-38 as well. The first priority upon arrival at Beale was to complete the T-38 checkout before starting SR-71 training. The T-38 was considered a companion trainer, a low-cost alternative for maintaining flying proficiency. The T-38 was also used as a pace-chase aircraft, flying in close formation with the SR-71 in case it was necessary to look over the plane in unforeseen circumstances or during emergencies. Once the T-38 checkout was completed, the grueling SR-71 training would soon begin, lasting about ten months and with no guarantee of ever flying the plane!
SR-71 SIMULATOR AND FLIGHT TRAINING
The SR-71 training program was not a formalized Air Force school. SR-71 combat-ready crew members in the squadron provided all training. For the first two weeks, air crews attended a field training detachment (FTD) course designed to teach new SR-71 mechanics the nuts and bolts of maintaining and repairing the Blackbirds. It was a unique opportunity for air crews to see and understand what made each individual system (hydraulics, pneumatics, landing gear, drag chute, etc.) on the plane work. It went well beyond the information our Dash-1 provided and formed a knowledge base to build on.
The Habus’ other jet was the T-38. All SR-71 pilots were dual-qualified to fly the T-38. The jet was easy to fly and, in the no-flap configuration, came relatively close to simulating the final approach of the SR-71. Crews flew the T-38s in formation, low-level navigation, aerobatics, and cross-country flying around the United States. At one time, there were fourteen T-38s at Beale AFB. Here a crew practices flying chase on the SR-71. Lockheed Martin
The author climbs out of a T-38 trainer after a local proficiency flight at Beale AFB.
